Who put the TNA in MMA?

Question: What is the reason for the apparent mutual attractions so many of today’s female porn star actresses have for certain top male MMA fighters? They both seem to have made an obvious public connection these days, openly displaying shared affections, much like the relationships between a popular rock star and his many female groupies… porn and martial arts used to make strange bedfellows, maybe not anymore?

Perhaps one of the initial reasons for so many frequent pairings is the fact that most of the individuals in these two cohesive industries are usually fairly fit, causing a strong physical attraction between them. Another possible reason for some of the more established porn stars getting together with MMA celebrities may be the calculated appeal of combining their star status.

One very visible high-profile pairing is between famous MMA Fighter and former UFC Light Heavy-Weight Champion; “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz and the ultra sexy porn star extraordinaire Jenna Jameson. Both, individually having been grown accustomed to being in the public’s eye, seem comfortable making public appearances together as well. Some fans say that Tito may even seem a bit happier nowadays too, having his sexy girlfriend at his side in public?

MMA Trade magazines readily publish pictures of them and other such celebrity relationships, knowing that its good business in the entertainment industry and…sex always sells!

Working Ring Card Girls have always used their sex appeal in order to make their mark at live events or on televised mixed-martial arts and boxing programs, yet, in years past most of the girls wore a bit more conservative attire while being seen at such events. Nowadays, these same girls may now be seen wearing next to nothing more than a tiny G-string bikini, while making their Ring Card walk between Rounds inside the cage or ring.

You may ask yourself, “What does this increase in sex appeal do for the MMA industry? Does turning up the heat at an MMA event actually help to fill the seats?”

Answer: If what has been said about the “Keys to Success” being found through sales and marketing is true, then therein lays the answer. A direct result of the huge spike in sales of Mixed-Martial Arts tickets and merchandise can be credited to the increase of its sexually more explicit influences, which the majority of fight fans have openly accepted.

Think about it this way…how many virile and testosterone-driven young boys would spend their school lunch money or weekly allowances on MMA gear or products if they thought that the chicks in his peer group might become attracted to him?
Since MMA is the “Flavor-of-the-Day”, it stands to reason that there are many kids around now with this mindset and it makes perfect sense for related businesses to proceed with cashing in.

However, not all is perfect in MMA “Paradise”…

There has long been resentment and protest going on in much of America between concerned parents, conservative political parties and certain organized religious groups and their repulsed viewpoints on pornography, one of their primary targets. A never-ending battle to limit or erase any form of pornography in the public’s eye has ensued, especially since around the 1950’s and is even stronger now, although the general populace in our society may certainly seem to have found much more of an open tolerance for it.

Spotlighted occurrences in other sports, like the notorious Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake Super Bowl “clothing mishap,” helped critics find fresh kindling to fuel their fires, yet football is still alive and well. Fans are mostly unaffected by the episode and continue to watch faithfully follow the sport. Popular wrestling has included and features many attractive but scantily-clad female athletes into its lineup, generating a legion of new viewers. Cheerleaders in all sports have been seen wearing much more revealing garb. There is a vast increase in the number of sexual undertones seen in many of today’s favorite television programs and commercials too.

A well-known Hollywood film producer once said, “Baywatch isn’t the biggest TV show ever because of Hasselhoff’s acting…?”

Although it may be argued statistically, in any media-driven industry, sex really does seem to sell a product. Basic “Consumer Skills-101” tells us; the more appealing the outer wrappings look on a store shelf, the more it gets noticed…the more of the product gets sold. Whether used in subtle doses or in a more obvious way, almost any sexual tones in an advertisement seem to draw human attention. The public notices sex and advertisers evidently know this.

In the past decade or more, all over the world there has been a widely documented influx of youngsters entering into MMA and various martial arts training for their first time, the entire industry has become a legitimate big money-making deal! Schools and gyms are flourishing at an all time high and MMA, along with pornography, have finally become more main-stream, even in some of the most conservative parts of the American Midwest...and have clearly proliferated.